App of the week – Space Engagers

Every now and again a great app comes along and so it is with Space Engagers, an app that allows users to map Dublin’s empty buildings.

The Peter McVerry Trust wants to tap local knowledge on empty buildings across Dublin to stem the homeless crisis. Many of the buildings identified by members of the public can be reused to provide social housing.

“We’ve been working on empty and derelict buildings for a few years now, and we know from this experience that we can create high-quality homes much faster and cheaper than traditional new build construction,” says Francis Doherty, head of communications at Peter McVerry Trust.

The more empty buildings the app identifies, the more homes Peter McVerry Trust can restore for people without homes.

Download the free app here or here and get snapping. There is also a project website www.reusingdublin.ie where people can also log information and see properties that have been added.

The launch of the new mapping app took place in Twitter’s Dublin offices and was attended by Biz Stone, a Twitter co-founder pictured above with Peter McVerry.